Cashier&#39;s window guard



Oct. 10, 1933. H. F. THOMPSON CASHIERS WINDOW GUARD Filed March 21, 1932 INVENTOR, N J1 7710774050 72 4\ BY PA'TENT n- 1 Patented 0d. l0, 1933' v "1,9?5360' V prismms WINDOW GUARD I Harry RThoinpson, Pasadena, Calif. Applicaticn Mar i: 2-1, 1932. Serial No. 609,179

' 1 clai l(ci.- 29-;-1.01)

I This invention relatestdguard devices for corn bination with counters of; establishmentshaving to do with .trad'alas for; instance in securities, jewelry or the transfer of cash and 111 inafter be called for convenience a Cast-H9135 window guard. r

It is anobjectof the presentinvention to provide a window guard of this classflwhich will afford a' means adapted to be instantly closed into efiectiv'e, protecting condition across a window opening at the cashiers cage or box and which will also enable the trapping of a person attempting burglary by demanding of the cashier, the sur- 1 render; of valuable property, suchfori'nstance as securities'jewelry and cash, as may be in "the custody oi'the cashier or other attendant V thewindow...l g

A further objectis to provide means .to disconcertthe intendingrobber at the moment that] the Windowshiitter may brendered effective. A further object. is to provide acas'hierfsg'uard including a safety closure which is under con trol of a device which can be operated either by the clerks foot immediately 'in' frontiof theclerkswindow; or

in case there beseveral. protected windows in a general banking or customers room, n;1eans are included in the control devieetwhereby. the clerk at some other window may. release the closure at. his windowandat the sanie timelrender effective a. signal. device discernible ,to others in the banking :orotherfroom when this particular clerkmay observe suspicious action or" an individual in 'the room, whether the individualube at some other windowor not.

g It isan object to provide inconibination abul: let-resistive "closure for .a cashiers Window ,and'

also agrapple device and a disconcerting appa.

ratus all under;- control of one i master controller whereby to .afiord safety to the window and to'facilitate' the capture oi. a potential robber.

adaptations maybe resorted to within the scope,

principle and spirit of the invention as it is more directly claimed hereinafter.

' erabl in the casefwhe're" the robber is clerk at 5 the Figure 1 is a front elevation of the inside or,

closure sideof a partition safety guard is installed.

Figure 2 is atransverse section through the.

at'whose window ,the]

partition and window counters and shows'mecha Figures is a detail viewof the manually opj e, closure latch and the alarm; the. latter being omitted for clarity from Figs. 1 and 2..

Figure 4. is a detail view showing the upper]- portion of closed guard elements and'theirfasscciated rack means concurrently operating the closure, slats. Figurej 5 is adetail, sectional View showing a stopratchet for theslat closure.

Figure 6 isa plan and. detail of device in retracted, set position. 7 y I Figure 7 is a plan of the closed slat-members of the closure and, showing in detail the preferredstructure ofthe parts'. I v Figure 8 isafsection of a'fragment oi the cage panel showing a concealing cover or trap-door in fron'tof the grappling device; j I In its illustrated'embodiment, the apparatus is shown as installed in associatioi witha box or cage panel 2 having a'window opening 3 through the grapple" which the clerk and the customermay readily View each'othen-the window having an inside. or clerks counter .4 and a coplanar outside counter leaf 5' which is suitably, hinged at 6 so as to fall, when released from control means, to effect the disconcerting of the potential wrongdoer standing adjacent or pressing against the recede'able' counter-part 5. g This counter-part is shown as having a pair of curved brackets? witha seriesof ratchet teeth 8 which are engaged by a universal part 9 movable vertically in guide bearings, 10 affixed to the insideface of the wall panel 2 in such aposition as to be normally drawn up by springs 11' to en-,., gaging and supporting' position with the lower,

be a suitable number. provided. in'th'is caset e. neareach endof the counter p'artb. I

The nrliver'sal blr 9 is adapted to. be pulled down to release the brackets my action of a foot pedal 12, operatiyelyniounted'jbelow' the counter 4 in a position to be readily acce'ssible to. and'qperable by the clerk at the'windov'rfl. "The pedal,

- Sinner end of the brackets 8Qoi which there'may" 1 The invention consists in certain advance ments in this art as set. forth in. the ensuing disclosure and having. with the above, additrolling device including the link 13 and a link 15 which is connected to a latch 16 engaging a double-faced rack bar 17 which is slidably mounted in a fixed bearing 18 and has its rear end surrounded by a spring 19 reacting on a head 20 of the bar 1'7. The rack end of the bar 1'7 engages opposite gear segments 21 of righthand and left-hand grapple arms 22 mounted on pivots 23. In the retracted position of the arms 22, they are latched by the latch 16 which serves to hold the spring 19 compressed until the latch 16 is pulled to release the rack bar whereupon the grapple arms 22 are instantly thrown forward in approaching relation to grapple the limbs of a potential robber at the counter 5.

The rack bar 17 is engaged by a lock bolt 24 in the bearing 18 which serves to fasten the arms 22 at any position in which they may close upon the limbs of the person caught so that the grapple arms cannot be opened.

The retracted arms are normally concealed by a freely swinging, horizontal trapdoor 25 hanging in the panel. As the grapple arms 22 are thrust outward to closing position by their spring 19, the arms will press open the covering trapdoor 25 so that the latter will not impede action of the arms.

It will be seen that ii an individual is resting against the falling counter-part 5, this may not drop freely when foot pressure is applied to the pedal 12, and therefore the spring 14 acts as a compensating connection to permit the effective pulling stroke of the link 15 on the grapple-arm latch 16 and insures the full action of the grapple arms even though the falling counter-part 5 may be retarded by pressure of the person in front of the window.

At the same time of the action of the grapple device, it is desirable to effect an instantaneous closure of the whole area of the window 3, even including the usual passway 3 which is large enough for the delivery of the goods or money in trade. To that end, a feature of the invention consists of a closure comprising a plurality of vertical, slat-like pieces 30 which are preferably of bullet-proof glass. These pieces are suitably mounted to swing on vertical axes to an open position with the planes of the slats transverse to the window opening, and thus parallel to the line of vision through the window.

As here shown, each slat 30 has a vertical spindle 31 with lugs 32 to which are suitably secured the contiguous margin of a slat 30. The spindles 31, except the one next to the window frame F, at one side, have stop flanges 33 from top to bottom against which the swinging edges of the slats 30 may bear when the slats have been moved to closed position, Fig. '7.

To effect concurrent action of all of the slats 30 of the closure, each spindle 31 has at its upper end a pinion 34; all of the pinions engaging constantly a universal rack bar 35 mounted in the header 36 of the window. The lower ends of the spindles 31 are suitably journaled in a window sill 37, the intermediate portion of which is oifset vertically to form the passway 3 and those slats 30 which are vertically over the passway are journaled in the upper portion of the sill 3'7 while the other slats 30 extending to the base of the sill which rests on the counter 4 are journaled in the sill base, excepting, that one of the slats, as 30 journaled at one end of the passway has an elongated foot 30 of an area to effect the complete closure of the passway 3 when the closure is in closed position so that the bullet-proof guard will be coextensive with the window opening 13-3 One of the spindles, as that of the shutter or slat 30 is continued down through the counter i and to it is connected a sufficiently strong spring 38 whose function is to instantly snap all of the closure slats 30 to a closed position at the will of the clerk at the window.

All of the slats are normally held open by a single latch 39, Fig. 3, engaging a keeper 40, here shown as attached to the lower portion of the foot 30 of the slat 30 so that when this slat is in open position, the spring latch 39 engages it, and through the connecting rack bar 35 holds all of the slats open. In case of numerous windows in a bank or other room, the attendant at each window may instantly release the safety closure device 30-30 when he has cause for alarm and this without causing action of the other elements of the window guard since the clerk may merely depress the relative latch 39 at his window, whereupon the spring 38 will close all of the slats 30. I

Concurrently with such an operation, a signal is made effective to set up an alarm, and as here shown, this signal includes an electric bell i s 41 in a circuit 42 having contacts through which a circuit is closed by a circuit closer 43 attached to or operative by the latch 39.

It will be understood that the alarm signal may be individual to each window or may be connected up in common to all of the other safety guards.

Each window closure is also releasable by depression of its respective pedal 12, this being connected by a suitable device, as a link 44, attached to the relative slat latch 39; it being understood tlgat these latches are spring-actuated by springs 3 Preferably, the connecting link 44 is of such a character that the latch 39 can be depressed without needless operation of the pedal 12, whereas, on the contrary, when the pedal 12 is operated at any window, the slats of the closure are released to be closed by the'spring 38, the connection 15 pulls down latch 16 and releases the grapple arms 22 and at the same time, the universal lock bar 9 is pulled so as to permit the counter 5 to be rendered unstable so that it may fall by gravity or under pressure of a persons body against it.

It is desirable to lock the slats 30 at successive, angular positions during their closing action, to prevent any opening movement if such is attempted, and for this purpose the spindle 31 of the master slat 30 is provided with a ratchet wheel 46 engaged by a system of ratchet pawls 47 whose function is to snap into the ratchet teeth as these move in closing sweep, and to prevent any 0pening movement.

What is claimed is:

In a cashiers window guard, a set of slats of which certain intermediate slats are shorter than the remaining slats so as to provide a passageway over the cashiers counter, and one of the slats being provided with a lateral foot extension adapted to close over the said passageway when all of the slats are moved to closing position.

' HARRY F. THOMPSON. 

